The Choking Wire
by telracs
Summary: One simple rescue turns into a mystery murder. Add a group of rebels and one Master Assassin, and you've got the entire future of China to worry about.
1. Chapter 1

Yay! I'm starting a new fic! And it's my first mystery murder type thing...wowhoo! Yes, this is a Viper/Monkey fic, which was started by Kippis05. You should totally read his "This is Our Song" Fic. I love it! And I hope you'll love this! Please continue reading, I don't mind at all.

Don't own the movie....

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Viper glided along the pathway that led to the outskirts of the valley, not having any specific place to go in mind. She had given direct orders to the other masters that she wanted to be left alone, and that if she saw any of them come after her, they'll be leaving with a sure sign that her health _and_ teeth are in perfect condition. _Not for nothing._

A light puff of air blew across her features, causing the lotuses she placed on each side of her cranium to flutter away in the wind, drifting off in different directions. She didn't pay any mind to the fact that her head now laid exposed to her surroundings and kept on with her trail.

Thoughts about what recently happened a day ago clouded her mind with questions of the emotions it left her with and the position that it left her in, and now she paid no attention to where she was led to by the course. It wasn't the fact that she was nearly crushed by an out of control cart that sent blood rushing to her face, but rather, the person who came to her rescue just in time. How could she not have seen the cart coming at her anyway? The answer to her was actually pretty simple. She went through exactly what happened.

She had just stepped out from the usual makeup store with one of the servants from the Jade Palace. A young mouse she handpicked herself, named Fu. The mouse was probably the most outspoken of all servants in the Palace, opposed to his size. If something would not look right, or if you needed to know the truth in something, Fu was the one to ask. Although he is bluntly truthful, Viper appreciates his ability to know the difference between purple and periwinkle.

Viper didn't know why, but she remembered stopping on the spot, and she along with Fu, observed two children playing kickball on the opposite side of the street. Fu sighed wistfully as he hopped onto her head and rested between the blossoms that graced her expression. Viper moved her eyes upward and frowned at the weight that now burdened her head. "What's wrong Fu?"

He scratched his head and flickered his tail once. "Don't you miss being a kid, Master Viper?"

Viper cocked her head, causing Fu to accidently fall into the bag. His low yelp is what got her attention, and that's when she started to search the bag frantically. It was then that she didn't see the cart spiraling out of control. Now she remembered! She had taken Fu out of the bag far too late to realize the cart was aiming right at her. She had squeezed Fu tightly and curled herself in a protective ball. She shut her eyes tight and twisted her neck to brace herself. She remembered how she had been waiting for about 2 seconds to open her eyes again, and saw that Fu was staring at something that had kept them safe from harm. She forced herself to turn her head and face the other direction.

Viper was speechless. Their faces were just a mere 2 inches apart and she felt Fu's fur frizz up. A smile graced the culprit's face, causing Viper to blush lightly. She looked at the ground, trying to avoid any gazes she received from the only two pair of eyes she thought were watching. "Thanks…" she mumbled.

Fu squirmed his way out of her tight grip and brushed himself of. He then glared at Viper, and spoke in what he tried to keep into a calm tone. "Thanks? Thanks!? Master Viper, with all due respect, this…this hero just saved our lives!" Viper opened her mouth to speak, but was shut down when he turned to their rescuer and bowed. "Thank you, Master Monkey."

He shrugged. "No problem. And don't be hard on her, she must still be in shock, you know?" Viper blinked twice and gave Monkey a thankful smile.

He faked a cough, "Do you need help, with your bags?" He asked as he pushed the cart away and gave her some space. Viper said nothing as she picked up her purchased items and placed them back into her bag. She tied the sack and held it out towards Monkey.

"If you're up to it?" she shrugged.

Monkey took one look at the bag and took it with no hesitation. "Anything for the lady!"

It took just a small situation like getting makeup, to cause a humongous ship filled with questions, to sail right into her mind. That one time left her with a different perspective of Monkey in her mind. For one t, how did he know she was in danger? Was he watching her or just hanging around at the scene of the crime? That wasn't the only time she felt that way. When Shifu heard about the cart that went crazy, he sent Viper, Tigress, and Monkey to investigate the scene. Viper wondered how things got so serious so fast.

Monkey, being the most approachable of the Five, asked the questions, while Viper investigated the cart with Tigress. The moment the two females laid their eyes on it, was the moment Viper understood what had gotten the cart to almost kill her. The driver was dead.

Viper, who came prepared with her kit, handed over some gloves to Tigress, who searched the victim: a young looking wolf, who by his size, stature and most notably color, seemed to originate from the Snow Mountains of some foreign country. They placed the wolf on a bed stand, and Tigress was able to examine what had killed the victim, the size of his injuries and hopefully, any clues as to **who** would kill him. Although Mantis would usually help in an evaluation such as this, he and the other two males searched around the borders of the valley, asking questions and looking for a suspect to launch the investigation with a head start.

"Two stabbings on his lower abdomen, one just about three inches away from the heart, and a wire that appeared to have choked him to death. So far, no evidence of an identity yet. But he does look around his thirties'…"

Viper sighed. "We're to going to have to do a more evaluated search if we want answers…" she observed the cart and read the logo imprinted on the side. "Red Dragon."

"What?"

"The logo on the cart, it says 'Red Dragon'. That's a food market place, right?" Tigress nodded and Viper looked below that, "Hey, it says that it's around West Lake, Quanzhou. But it takes days to come here, if not weeks due to the remoteness of this valley. How could the food last that long without going bad…?" Viper slithered to the cart and opened the back doors. Bags and piles of Money flew out of the cart, startling her. Tigress raised a brow.

"What would he be doing here with all this money?" Tigress bent down and examined the unfamiliar paper money. "This money…it's not from around here."

Viper took it from her and saw a face on one side and a house of some sort on the other. "Do you think…it could belong to any of the foreigners we've been hearing about?"

Tigress placed her hands on her hips. "I don't know, but it looks like we've got a mystery on our hands."

"Tigress!" Monkey jumped down from a ceiling and landed in between the two girls. "I've got a league!"

Tigress wasted no time in exchanging information. "So do we! Red Dragon at West Lake, Quanzhou. Cart filled with foreign currency, with bills of 5s' and 1s'. What'd you find out?"

"His name. It's Fao Chiang, age 34, born 5/13/1872."

Viper was impressed. "Wow, how'd you figure out all that?"

He pulled out a card. "I found this," he handed it to Viper, "at a trail that led to an old and what seemed to be abandoned warehouse."

_**BONK! **_

Viper's thoughts came to a sudden stop when she collided with an oak tree. She rubbed her head. How far had she gone? She looked up at the sky, and saw that it was just after noon. She turned around, intending to find her way back safely to the Jade Palace. Her thoughts of Monkey are going to have to wait; they've got an assassin to find.

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So, should I continue? Please review and tell if you like what you've read. I won't if you disliked it. I will if you liked it and MOST certainly will if you loved it...


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, people actually like this stuff. Well, I hope you continue liking it, for if you do, I will continue writing it.**

**Okay, so for one of the parts in this chapter I decide to us US currency when Monkey is discussing his plan. I was just too lazy to turn it into Chinese currency. ^^;**

**Also, it's set in the year 1906, in case you wanted to know. It was after the Boxer Rebellion. I'm trying to make it fit to chinese history and my fantasy world, so be prepared. And thank you to those pf you who reviewed and that guy who noted my mistake in the first chap. Appreciate it!**

**I don't own the movie...**

**Please continue reading on with the story...**

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It was late afternoon when Viper had reached the palace. The gates opened slowly as she entered through them, finding an empty arena. Skidding up the next flight of stairs, she took a left turn, which led to a small abode. This headquarter is only used when murders such as these happen. The Five weren't homicide detectives, but they were guardians. They were taught that in being a guardians of an entire valley, brings in many responsibilities. Even if the valley had a small population, they must be prepared for anything.

She approached the door with caution, constantly looking sideways to insure safety purposes. She wouldn't want anyone becoming dramatized for seeing a dissected dead body. She tapped the door three times lightly and then slid her tail on it for two seconds. She gave it another two taps. The knob swirled around, and was opened by none other than Master Shifu. He motioned his head for her to get inside; the silent greeting that she received told her that this was serious.

She entered and instantly spotted the Tigress and Mantis working on the dead body. A light gust of wind hit her back and she turned to see Crane. He wore no hat, but his face seemed worried. Viper blinked and looked over at Shifu, who took the time to explain as he motioned her to walk with him.

"Chiang is the dead body's identity, correct?"

"Yes."

"He's not from Red Dragon. That truck was just a cover up for his own mission. That money was supposed to be delivered two days ago by midnight, but something went wrong. The victim seemed to have been attacked by several things naked to the village's eyes. I'm not saying that this has to do with the supernatural but I'm afraid of where this may lead. We have received other reports about other mystery murders. The victims were all white wolves."

"White wolves…? Those are some of the new foreigners that came here…there are others…"

"Some foxes, hawks, eagles, horses, zebras, lions…so many of them also killed. The main victims are still white wolves."

"Do you think there could be a rebellion on the horizon?"

"Nothing's certain. But one thing is in the clear: whoever's committing these murders must not want them in our country." He then looked behind her and back at her. "Right now, do not worry about a rebellion. What I need you to do is to help Po come back to his senses. I think he was dramatized by watching Tigress cut through Chiang's wounds."

"Yes master." She did a quick bow and headed slowly towards Po. She breathed in through her nose and pursed her lips at the sight of Po wheezing and crying. After two seconds of just watching, she slithered over to him as fast as she could, and wrapped her tail around his wrist sympathetically. "It's okay, Po…"

He looked at her, his eyes swollen red from his sobbing, and he constantly trying to control his breathing. "Just because he was a different race doesn't mean he was supposed to die like that! ...He had a life! He probably had kids or something and this was his job! Delivering money! It's not like China has that many jobs to offer!" he wiped the tears out of his eyes and made way for more. "I read those reports!" He struggled to speak the next words and began wheezing again.

Viper shook her head and gave him a hug. "There, there. It's alright, you don't have to speak now…I know this may be hard, but you have to keep going. Although life might give up on you, you can't give up on life. You must fight for it, you understand me? You have to be strong and fight for it."

Po calmed down a bit, but more tears streamed down his cheeks. Viper let go of him and saw the sorrow in his eyes. Something wasn't right. He breathed in deeply and said, "They killed kids."

Viper blinked the blindness that had just hit her away. She swallowed hard and tried to ignore the comment. She looked over to the side and then back at Po. "Are you feeling better?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Yeah…I guess it takes a little getting used to," he let his hand glide over his forehead to the back of his neck and rubbed it softly. "Is Tigress…?"

Viper looked at where Tigress stood, which was directly behind Po, waiting at the door. She had been standing there the entire time, and hadn't intervened once. She knew she couldn't either, if she id, it could have possibly made Po's healing worse. Viper tried her best not to laugh, but she gave a light smile. "Yes, she is done. Would you like to speak to her?"

He nodded. "Yes, Po would like to speak with Master Tigress."

Viper looked back at Tigress and Viper's smile grew as Po began to acknowledge the fact that Tigress had been there all along. He sat up right and tightened his grip on the sides of the chair when Tigress leaned over him and whispered in his ear, "Would Master Po like to have his talk with Master Tigress privately?" After a few moments of hearing Po stammering over his words, Tigress giggled girlishly. As mean as it may sound, she liked to play these kinds of tricks on poor Po. He sucked his teeth.

"Ha ha, very 'mature'," he stuck his tongue out at her.

She raised her eyebrows in wonder and placed her hands on her hips. "Yes, coming from Sir Man-you're-not."

Viper shook her head in amusement. These too will never cease to amaze her…or entertain her. She slithered away towards the door and departed from the two bickering friends. Their voice became less audible as she entered another room, which is where Monkey was located. He rubbed his chin in a thoughtful manner, and jotted down numbers on a piece of paper. Viper curiously led herself to where he sat and looked over his paper.

"What're you working on?"

Monkey bit the back end of his pencil. "I'm working out the payment plan for our repairs. The training hall needs some new spikes for the wooden clubs, wood for the clubs, sanding paper, more wood, some stronger chains and gunpowder for the fire pit."

"How much is it all together?"

"I'd say approximately 3,000. The economy sucks big time. I'll probably suck worse in the future. I mean imagine that inflation would cause products to go up 456 times. Crazy, right?"

Viper laughed. "Don't jinx it Monkey." She looked over the paper again. "So, how are we going to pay for this?"

"Eh, well, we're in March. That's thirty-one days. But two days past so make it twenty-nine days. If we save thirty-eight dollars every day for eighty days, we'll have 3,040 in total, right? But if it's the seven of us putting in 38 everyday, we would have 266 at the end of every day. That would decrease the amount of days and we can get the equipment earlier by…sixty-nine days. That means we'll have it all here in only eleven days."

"Then why don't we do that?"

"Well, the thing is that…I don't know if we could commit to ending up with 266 every day. Where would we get all that money? The government isn't sending enough money for us to pay all things. There's the lighting, the water, taxes. It's just so many things to take care of and I'm stuck with all the work." He cracked his fingers and Viper just rolled her eyes.

"_We _are stuck with all the work. We're a _team _Monkey, remember that."

"That still won't help me find the answer to our problem…"

"Yes it will. If _we _work together, _we _can do this." She pointed her tail at the paper.

He smiled. "Then may _we _work together in finding a solution?"

Viper smiled fondly, a gleam in her eye. "Yes, _we _may."

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It was late that evening when Mantis and Crane got together in Po's room. Po sat on his bed while Mantis and Crane on the floor. Mantis described the procedures he and Tigress did while cutting the wounds to measure the deepness of the pierces, and possible anything that could have been on the knife that stuck onto the flesh. He also described how the wire that choked the victim had cut deep into the tissue of the neckline. Po and Crane cringed upon hearing this. Why would anyone want to kill like this? Why would anyone want him dead in the first place? That question still remained unanswered, but they seven of them had a hunch that it had something to do with foreigners. The foreign money and killing of foreign visitors were enough to sustain that theory.

"Do ya think they would be tryin' to get rid of all of them? I mean if ya think about it, they been coming here by the hundreds' ever since that Marco Polo dude released his book 'bout China. They could be…feelin' sorta exploited or somethin'." Po said, trying to get Mantis off his evaluation story.

Crane flapped his wings once in an unsure manner. "It could be that, why else would they want to kill them?"

Mantis scratched his head and lightly tapped the floor. "Maybe they don't want the Chinese to convert to…Christians, was it? They said something about being a catholic and another thing about a messiah coming to save us, and…whatnot." He shrugged.

Crane tilted his head thoughtfully. "You know, that does make sense. I saw some angry looking people when I was over at Shandong. They were staring at this person who was preaching about some religion. I think it's the one Mantis was talking about. They even started arguing about property rights. I managed to break it up before it got really ugly. I was able to get them a court ruling. That'll settle things without blood being spilled…for now, anyway."

Po felt uneasy. This wasn't just some silly dispute that could be settled over a peace treaty, this was much worse. This could lead to bloodshed, battle, civil war! It could lead to massacres, rebellions, and…and…having your head cut off! This was a problem he certainly wasn't used to dealing with.

A knock was suddenly heard at the door. The silhouette of a Tiger could be seen, which was obvious identified as Tigress immediately. Po's ears twitched once before he yelled "Come in!"

Tigress opened the door and greeted the others as she entered the room. "I have some news on the murder case of Fao Chiang." She announced. "This murder, as you all already know, is not the only white wolf to die. This seems more nation-wide than just any other case. Remember the Boxer Rebellion of 1901?"

Mantis scoffed. "Remember? Pssh, I can relieve those moments. They were the scariest moments of my life I can honestly say. It was even scarier than Tai Lung, in case you guys were wondering. The Japanese that helped us had 100% casualties."

"What? How is that even possible?" Po doubted that they could have 100% casualties.

"Well, because they were wounded, they entered the casualty list. They went to the line of battle again, only to get wounded once more, and then entered the list…again." Mantis explained.

Po nodded his head in response to his explanation. It made complete sense now.

Tigress rolled her eyes. "Anyhow, I think there might be another rise. Crane, you said that you saw a few folks arguing about property rights. Well, that was actually one of the first signs in the uprising. The death of foreigners is another sign. But—"

"The boxers were all disposed of!" Po intervened.

Tigress placed a clenched fist on her right hip. "You didn't let me finish. I don't think that the boxers are behind this. Master Shifu thinks that a stronger enemy could be behind this…he's not sure yet. But he thinks there could be a stronger reason for whoever's behind this to want the Catholics dead. Something besides having the religion they have."

Po spoke next. "Well, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that we're going on a mission…and its suicide."

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**Oh my, a suicide mission. Wow. **

**So what o you guys think it is? Or any guesses to what might happen in future chapter? Sorry about the lack of Monkey/Viper romance, but it'll come soon! I just want to get the background story and what's going first. Okay, please REVIEW! **

**Tell me any mistakes you've seen, and of course, what you think of this story so far. Include that in your review, I think it's very important. Thanks for reading and have a nice day/night...whatever.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Oh...yes, I know that I haven't updated in a very long while. I'm very sorry. But it doesn't really help that I got one review for the last chapter after such totally awesome feedback on the first one...not very much support to make me continue. But I will anyways! **

**I apologize ahead of time for the bit of crappiness, I kinda had writer's block.**

**So I don't own the movie...who cares!?**

**....I do....**

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"So…where exactly are we going?" Po asked once more, earning himself a snarl from both Shifu's and Tigress' throat. Po darted his eyes back and forth at the two, and began to feel self-conscious.

"Viper?" Shifu looked at her with pleading read in his eyes. She nodded and turned towards the panda, who know stared questionably into her eyes. He had never been through this before. "Po, we're going into Bandit Country. From there, we'll get into the gang and to Vietnam. After that, we'll see what the "game" is all about."

Po nodded once, twice, three times. He did not want to go, he feared whatever they were to face. What was it that people had put down on the reports…? Night Flyers? It was a supposedly "monster" of some sort that looked very feminine and only flew at night, capturing its victims and killing them. Once they suck the last breath of the poor thing, they fly away, leaving no trace of what they've done. No trace except a wire used to choke their victim, Chiang. Monkey concluded once, that whatever this thing was has always left its victims with no trace of weaponry, or location, or anything. But this time, it had something that they would want, and it wanted to be found. Po was afraid, he admitted. Bandit Country was like some sort of holocaust for weaklings. He was told by Crane himself, who flew over it, that they tortured their victims, made them work to the bone, took whatever was valuable, and if they were of no use to them anymore, they would be executed.

And that wasn't even the worst that could happen. Po remembered Crane and Mantis telling him that once there was a member of the clan who didn't steal all the gold from a rich family. He was severely punished. They lay him on a flat board and hit him in his bare back twenty-five times with a whip of some sort of hard material. The person who delivered the whips was known as the Lady of Whips, and that was one lady Po did not want to meet.

He was visibly shaken by this; his face had become pale and his stared mindlessly at the table before him. Not anyone could stop what would happen next. How could they?

As the single tear fell from his face, the others understood what he felt at this very moment. Would he ever survive?

"Po," Shifu said sternly. He stared at his student, silently praying that he would be strong enough to handle the next few weeks of the mission. "You mustn't show fear. You have to focus. Do not waste your tears on what has yet to come…you must live in the present. Not the past or future."

Po nodded and gave a shaky sigh.

Monkey couldn't help but feel sorry for Po. He's never been far from home before. The missions that would they would go on were far, but not** this** far. Po was only twenty-three; he was an adult by law but not by moral code. He was just a teenager! Po's personality has made him too emotionally unstable for this mission. But he was Dragon Warrior, he had to come. He was supposed to be strong on the inside and out. He couldn't imagine being in Po's position, and was secretly glad that he wasn't chosen as the Dragon Warrior. It was too much hassle, and he wasn't able to handle such responsibility. And apparently, neither was Po.

Monkey sighed; this was going to be the hardest night on Po.

They were leaving this very night.

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"The Bandits will be able to recognize who we are by appearance, so in order to fit in, we must dress appropriately." Tigress explained as she opened a dusty vault that hid behind a closet in the small house now called the Jade Investigation Headquarters.

Po scratched the side of his nose. "And what do they consider 'appropriate'?" He was answered by a black garment landing right on his head, covering his entire face. He quickly pulled it off and observed the piece of clothing. He held black sweats that increasingly grew thinner at the bottom to tighten a few inches below the knee. Tigress then threw a pair of black shoes and bindings at him.

"These," she said pulling out more clothing, "Master Shifu had it especially made for a mission such as this."

"These?" He asked still observing them. "They look more like spy clothing to me…"

"Po."

"Yes, Mantis?"

"Tigress just gave you exactly that."

"Really? Wow…we're gonna look so badass in these. Whaddya think Monkey?"

"I think that these bandits aren't from around here."

Viper turned her attention to him. "What do you mean?"

"Ever heard of thugs, the ones from India?"

"They worshipped the Goddess Kali and believed that they had a right to kill, what's your point?" Tigress asked abruptly.

"How did they kill their victims?"

Tigress remained silent. She knew the answer but refused to accept it. The thugs were in India, what would they be doing here? Unless…no. That wouldn't be possible. But it explains so many things! She shook her head. Folding her arms over her chest and looking away she asked, "What makes you say that?"

"Science," he replied flatly.

Her ears flickered at the uncalled for answer. Although his theory seemed very possible, Tigress believed in no such thing. The supernatural was not real to her, yes she believed in her religion, but there are some things that she just can't believe no matter how hard she tries. The thugs--she very well knew that they killed by choking their victims, but there was still something off about this.

"Not everyone was killed by suffocation."

Viper thought deeply about this. "Not all were choked…" she thought aloud, capturing the attention of the other five warriors, "but they were stabbed, poisoned, lynched, beaten, or beheaded…only one was choked. They…" she stopped herself from continuing the thought and turned her attention towards Monkey. "You said that it led to an abandoned warehouse, right?"

"Yes…?"

She breathed out and looked at the ground, deep in thought. She blinked a couple of times, and the others could see that she was fight with herself. She then turned towards Tigress and said, "We should go."

She shrugged and shook her head. "What?"

"The house--"

Mantis barely let her finish. "It's a trap."

The red-crowned crane nodded in agreement. He tipped his hat forward and flapped his wings a couple of times. "Those bandits, from what I can tell are smarter than we think. The abandoned warehouse is only meant to look like that. It's really just a place where the missions are given, the weapons, the clothing; all that they would need to complete that single mission. If we're going to have to fit in…"

"We need to get into the game." Tigress finished for him.

Po was confused, he exchanged a look with each master and rubbed his forehead. "…what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that if we want know who does the killing, we have to get a mission of our own." She slammed the vault shut, causing Po to wince at the loud noise that echoed in the room. She turned and banged her hands against the table. The ground itself shook at the rage that she released, and the sad part was that she didn't even know why she was angry. Maybe it was the fact that they would have to kill someone when they get what they need…

She glanced at the window and saw a black object flying towards her. Acting on instinct, she jumped away just in time, avoiding the hit by mere milliseconds. The noise of shattered glass brought everyone up to their feet. It wasn't before long that Viper was the one to notice that it was a stone that had almost hit Tigress.

The stone was jagged and fractured, seeming to have been molded by a larger stone. It was strangely crystal-like, cherry red and slightly translucent. Maybe it was a crystal? It looked beautiful she'll admit, but she had never seen anything like it…

Tigress cautiously picked up the stone and removed a small rope that was tied around it. In doing so, a folded piece of paper fell to the ground. She took one look at Viper and handed her the rare mineral, reaching for the paper all at once. She unfolded it at skimmed over its text. Monkey read over her shoulder and widened his eyes at what it contained. He began to read aloud,

"There are six little feathers falling from the sky. One dashed down and hurt his eye…the bird swooped down and the old bird said 'O' dear Gods, this quill's soon dead'…" he stopped himself and gazed at Viper, who looked worriedly at Tigress. Tigress continued the narration,

"'Unless you want that quill dead, I suggest you do exactly what I say. You are to attend the warehouse. You must go and ask for Mother Lu. She will give you the rest of the directions to follow. If you are to resist her orders in any manner, she will get you…and she will kill you."

Tigress looked around frantically. _Monkey, Mantis, Viper, Crane, Po…wait. Where's—_

"Master Shifu!"

It all happened too quickly. Tigress swiftly turned around to Po, who was helplessly watching the scene unfold as he saw something fly off into the sky with a worn-out animal. They carried it by the feet of this strange creature. They couldn't do anything; the creature was already gone in a blink of an eye.

Po shook his head in disbelief. He had yet to process what had just happened. One second a stone flies in through the window and the next Shifu…is taken held captive!? He slammed the walls in anger, and the others can only cringe at the side they had never seen before. He did not stop. Tigress closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again, taking her rage towards the giant panda.

"If you hit that wall one more time…" she seethed.

Po glared at the tiger, which would not drop her gaze. He could have stopped there—"And if I don't?" He hit it.

Tigress growled menacingly. Extracting her claws, she attempted to slap him, but was stopped when Viper wrapped her tail around her wrist.

"Fighting would just add more to the problem." She said wisely. Tigress snatched her hand back and turned around, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Get out."

Without a second thought, Po was the first to go. He was soon followed by the other males and finally with one last look, Viper left. The door was shut tight behind her and Tigress realized that she finally had her chance. She felt under the table for a button that was placed there secretly. It didn't take long for her to feel the small bump. She pressed it. She stood in the middle of the room and took a deep breath.

"I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you're looking for ransom, I don't have any money. But what I do have is a very meticulous set of skills; skills I have obtained over a very long period of training. Skills that make me a nightmare for animals like you. If you give me my master now, I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, we **will** find you…and we **will** kill you."

She had remembered the lines…

It took a while for Tigress to hear anything, but in a few moments, she could hear something being tossed inside the room she was in. In a flash, she caught the same rare stone. Another piece of paper seemed to have something written on it as she hastily untied the rope.

In very sloppy handwriting, each character slanted right, it read only two words: "Good Luck."

The words echoed through her head as someone had voiced the words, flying off into the distance. And this time…empty-handed.

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**I hope you liked it...And yes! I did borrow that quote from the movie "Taken"! Oh Geez, I'm sorry! Please don't hate me! *hides behind a couch***

**Can you please be so kind as to leave a review? Even if it's just one word...or two...or three...possibly four.**

**Thanks for reading! And please review!**


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